India is the 3rd largest
egg producer in the world and about 70% of their hens are confined in
barren battery cages. Fortunately, the Humane Society
International/India (HSI/India) has successfully persuaded the
majority of Indian states to declare that confining hens to battery
cages violates the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.
Hopefully, the Indian government will now be prompted to pass
legislation in order to one day ban these cages.

Confining God’s animals is simply cruel. By not allowing them to
exercise any of their God-given instincts and needs we are showing God
that we don’t respect His/Her creation and love for animals. Let’s
honor God’s Creation by caring for God’s animals and letting them
enjoy their life, free of exploitation. This is how we celebrate life!

Hudson Valley Foie Gras is the largest foie gras farm in the U.S. and
is now on the spotlight for allegedly abusing their workers. Sources
claim that their employees work “obscenely hard” and that they don’t
get any holidays or rest days. With the great divide between passing a
reform and continuing to exploit workers, we are sure to hear more in
the near future.

Please visit
The ducks are coming home to roost:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3b5f5ae4-bdbb-11e2-890a-00144feab7de.html#axzz2TwcewnbG

The foie gras industry
is a barbaric one that abuses God’s animals and also workers. Although
it seems fairly easy to ignore the plight of the victims when their
suffering is unseen, the reality is that ignoring it causes much
damage to us. It deadens our sensitivity, our compassion and our love
for all creatures.

Jesus said that God feeds the birds of the air (Matt. 6:26) and does
not forget Jesus sparrows (Luke 12:6). The Hebrew Scriptures forbid
inhumane slaughter or cruelty toward beasts of burden (Exod. 23:5;
Deut. 22:6–7, 25:4).

Yet, in the United States, virtually all food
derived from animals is obtained through intensive factory farming
methods. In fact, nearly ten billion land animals are slaughtered each
year, over a million every hour, and the number of aquatic animals
killed for food is far greater. These animals suffer greatly from
stressful crowding, barren environments that frustrate their
instinctive drives, mutilations and amputations without pain relief
(including debeaking, dehorning, tail docking, and castration), and
other painful procedures (Bernard Rollin, Ph.D., Farm Animal Welfare).

Not
surprisingly, the USDA has found hog slaughterhouses violating
repeatedly animal welfare and public health regulations. In fact,
their treatment of pigs is labeled as “egregious.” However, the vast
majority of these violations received no suspension or other
punishments.

How may we expect healing, harmony and joy while we are creating
disease, causing much suffering and death, and pretend it’s all right?
Love and peace sprout within us and are manifested in our actions and
choices. A plant-based diet clearly reflects a peaceful, loving and
joyful world!